Small fleet of autonomous shuttles to begin operation in Riverside

Three all-electric driverless shuttles will begin operating in Riverside in January, city officials announced Tuesday.

The zero-emission autonomous shuttles will be operated and maintained by the Riverside Transit Agency as part of a two-year trial run to complement its existing bus service.

When the vehicles hit the streets, RTA will become the first public transportation agency in the U.S. to operate fully electric autonomous shuttles.

The shuttles seat eight and are capable of reaching speeds of 31 mph, but will probably operate closer to 15 mph, depending on traffic and chosen route. The city is considering deploying them at UC Riverside, downtown and near the local airport, among other options.

Officials said the shuttles will "move people around the city, at no cost to the public, emitting no emissions and improving air quality by taking cars off the road."

It's a plan that's been in the works for more than a year, as Riverside agreed to purchase the vehicles last November and work with the manufacturer in bringing its headquarters to the Inland Empire.

The electric shuttle vehicles are built by Ohmio, a New Zealand company that established its new headquarters in a facility near the Riverside Airport as part of the purchasing agreement.

The move also saw Ohmio designate Riverside as its official point of sale location, meaning each vehicle the company sells will generate local sales tax revenue. At a price tag of more than $300,000, each sale will generate over $26,000 for the City of Riverside.

That beneficial arrangement also allowed the City to procure the vehicles at a discount.

Originally, Riverside spent $2.5 million to purchase the three vehicles and help Ohmio move to Riverside.

With $1.5 million combined contributions from RTA and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the price is now estimated to come in around $1 million, which City officials say will be recouped from future sales through sales tax in about four years.

Last year, officials estimated that the Kiwi EV company would manufacture between 550 and 750 vehicles over the first five years in Riverside. The shuttles will be the first "end-to-end" all-electric autonomous vehicles to be manufactured entirely in the U.S., officials said at the time.

Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson described Ohmio as an industry innovator at the "forefront of this exciting transportation technology," and said RTA was the perfect local partner to operate the first-of-its-kind service.

“This agreement with RTA means we will have a trusted local partner putting these vehicles on the street, helping the agency fill gaps in transit usage and contributing financially to the success of the effort," Lock Dawson said.

Ohmio says the move to Riverside will lead to the creation of about seven new jobs, including engineers and technicians, in the first year and as many as 25 by the third. City officials say they believe each job added in "advanced manufacturing" will generate additional jobs further down the pipeline in other industries.

“This agreement is a win for everyone,” said Riverside Mayor Pro Tem Jim Perry said. “RTA gets a new tool in its transit toolbox, Ohmio gets to show off its vehicles on United States soil, and the City remains a leader in innovation while defraying a chunk of the initial costs.”

City leaders and RTA hope to have the shuttles in operation by January of next year. But before service can begin, the chosen routes will need to receive approval from the federal government.

Two self-driving Ohmio shuttles were deployed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York this past summer as part of a pilot programs.